Writing in the Now

As I struggle to both reveal my voice and discover my discipline as a writer, I have turned my focus toward longer term projects. So I thought I would share evidence of my earlier skirmishes in this realm.

Remember if you are reading this on LJ, click the link to read the entire poem.

Enjoy,
Katrina

Failing to write my thoughts,
falling back on enumerations
of things seen
but not experienced

Critical consciousness
not put to paper is lost
in the currency of the now –
remembered vaguely
in the here after

To respect one's craft
is to give it focus,
attention
and time

Gifts of insights
are present focused,
not to be recalled,
but reviewed

Remnants fit together loosely
or not at all in memory,
not perfect transitions
and patterns
as in the now

Fingering torn and
cracked fragments,
I am reminded of puzzle pieces
with gaps
and forced fittings
removing or
obscuring
the truth

To write is to
capture the poignancy
and the integrity
of the moment
and to preserve it
as snapshots
for cultivating
the generations unborn

Like seeds of sand
polished into pearls,
ideas are nothing
without context

Someone, I forget who, once said that writing is easy. You just sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.

Madeline L'Engle, of Wrinkle in Time fame, has written seriously about writing and she says that you absolutely must do it every day. Every day. Even if you don't brush your teeth or eat or make love, you must write every day. Otherwise, the pump runs dry.